Global Emphasis Expands for Georgetown MBAs
A new Global Business Initiative recently announced by the Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business will ensure that the global mission of the school is evident throughout all aspects of the student experience ”“ from the undergraduate to MBA to executive education programs.
Well-regarded for its emphasis on international business, Georgetown McDonough is creating the Global Business Initiative to enhance its global focus through curriculum and research activities, alliances with international universities and organizations, and coordination of existing efforts spread across various research centers at the school.
“We embrace a global mindset in all we do at Georgetown McDonough, and this initiative will maximize our students’ opportunities for truly transformational experiences that lead to a greater understanding of how business operates around the world,” says David A. Thomas, dean of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.
Ricardo Ernst, professor of operations and global logistics, will lead the initiative as its director, and says it will bring faculty, students, alumni and others on board. “The initiative represents both a deepening and widening of our commitment to Georgetown McDonough’s global mission,” he adds.
To begin, the Global Business Initiative will expand the Global Business Experience program to complement the revised MBA curriculum announced this spring. Georgetown McDonough pioneered these international consulting projects in 1995, and they are now a requirement for all graduate students at the school.
By moving from a geographic emphasis in assigning residency projects to a thematic one, the Global Experience will provide students a comprehensive understanding of the regional and cultural factors affecting a strategic topic, such as supply chain management or social innovation.
Students who studied the same topic in different areas of the world will regroup after their final presentations abroad to write a joint paper about the global implications of that topic and then present their findings at a concluding conference.
The initiative will include several other planned activities, including creating global alliances across Georgetown University and examining ways to internationalize the curriculum across all programs. “By integrating our efforts, the work of the Global Business Initiative will allow our students and faculty to explore key questions about global business in a more detailed and comprehensive way,” dean Thomas says.
